The big news of the day is that the organizers behind E3 2022 have officially canceled this year’s show, a show that was likely to be a virtual event before this announcement. Earlier in the year, there was the breaking news that the show would go ahead, but without anyone in physical attendance, s0 this news came as a bit of a shock to the industry who were looking forward to getting the show back on the road again.
The company behind the show is the Electronic Software Association (ESA), and they broke the news to partner companies and associates via email (what a way to do it), which was then followed by Will Powers, the PR lead at Razer sharing the bombshell all over Twitter.
What is the reason for the E3 2022 cancellation?
The latest cancellation is just one of many that had happened to events like this since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic officially broke out and forced the world into lockdown. That being said, E3 had recently struggled with its attendance records before the pandemic even worsened things. We were all expected a virtual experience just like in 2021, and now because of the “ongoing health risks that come with COVID-19” this show is no more. But, given E3’s past difficulties, there could very well be some more determining factors that have led to this decision.
The ESA had planned a complete overhaul for E3 2020 as a means to kick start the event back into life and give it some purpose once again. Companies such as Sony and EA started the power shift by using their own channels instead of using E3 as their major yearly release platform.
The decision, which has been provided in a statement from the ESA, states that their desire is “to devote all our energy and resources into delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer”, where they aim to focus on community and the media in an “all-new format.” They’re making that sound way more exciting than it will be, more than likely another virtual event.